Newsletter

Hello Sunshine!

After a busy winter and spring we are happy to welcome some summer sunshine and have lots of exciting projects and trips on the horizon. Here is a little of what we have been up to since our last newsletter.

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Tasty Travels

Since my trip back from Ukraine, I had about a week to relax at home before heading out again. This time my travels lead me to Ocean Shores, Washington to host the 6th Annual Razor Clam Festival! Ocean Shores is a small beach town on the coast of Washington; about a 3-hour drive away from the hustle and bustle of Seattle. Every year they celebrate this illustrious clam with a fun and tasty festival, from Blood Mary and beer booths, to arts and crafts, and of course a clam chowder cook-off. My team and I judged both the amateur and professional chowder cook-offs and seriously tasted over 45 chowders to choose the grand prize winners. Needless to say we were stuffed to the gills with chowder by the end of the day!

Heather, Erwin and I tasting the first group of chowders!

Then it was off to California’s Napa Valley with teammates Heather and new sous-chef Jason for the Flavor Summit! Held at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, this industry-only event brings in the top leaders in the culinary world to discuss and taste their way through flavor-related topics. The campus is amazing and the seminars were enlightening! I attended with my client Paramount Citrus. We participated in the lunch, cooking up a Sweet Orange, Fennel and Arugula Salad with Citrus Grilled Shrimp and my Market Fresh Lime Agua Fresca with Berries (see below for the recipe). For the ending reception we crafted Liquid Kitchen Ultimate G & T’s (Gin and Tonics), topped with a Cucumber Lime Foam and a grating of lime zest.

Squeezing out some Paramount Limes for my Ultimate G & T!

Then it was off to Los Angeles again. This time for business meetings mixed in with some fun. While in LA, we checked out concepts and visited restaurants, including Bottega Louie where I was drooling over their amazing pastries and cupcakes. Check out the Macaron Tree below! The weekend was full of glitterati sightings at the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills where party goers for JJ McKay’s (Seattle party host extraordinaire) party were staying. JJ’s parties always bring in the who’s who of crowds and lead to the best networking ever. Guests flew in from all over the US, including partiers from Miami and NY to Dallas, San Francisco and Seattle.

Next stops: I’m off to Vancouver, British Columbia this week for work with the Fairmont Hotels and then New Orleans, Louisiana and Washington, D.C. Stay tuned for more tasty travel round up’s on my blog.

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Serious Sippin’ with the Liquid Kitchen

Filming for the 3rd Season of Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen™ just wrapped up with Small Screen Network. We filmed 18 episodes in two days! Vitamix was our main sponsor this season and so expect lots of amazing, blended summer drink episodes, like my Liquid Indulgence (vanilla ice cream, espresso and salted caramel incorporated together and topped with a float of mezcal!) and a Blended Peach Whisky Sour! A Seattle LUPEC member was the top bidder to be a guest on Liquid Kitchen at a recent breast cancer fundraising event. So in honor of the ladies who love to imbibe I created the Green Goddess for an episode – Green Chartreuse, egg whites, fresh pineapple, silver rum, a touch of lemon and Bitter Truth Celery Bitters – yum! Stay tuned for these new episodes to be posted soon!

Special Guest and LUPEC Seattle member Lynn Becker and I shaking up a Green Goddess Cocktail!

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Tasty & Libatious Reads – and Cooking up a New Cookbook

If you follow me on Twitter, then you may have caught wind that I just finished the recipes and am now shooting the photography for my 10th cookbook… all on deviled eggs! Stay updated with Twitter on my book’s progress as I tweet more behind the scenes of our photo shoots.

The new Food & Wine Cocktails 2012 book is out! This year I share my creative versions of the ever classic French 75. This cocktail book covers an extensive array of classic cocktails with featured mixologists’ personal variations. How about a Salted Maple (a Pisco Sour variation) or a Lord Bullingdon’s Revenge (a Sazerac spin)? There are also non-alcoholic options too! Make sure you get your copy today!

If you’re a frequent flyer, check out this special promo from Amazon.com. Free Wi-Fi access to Amazon.com on most Delta flights. Click here for more info. Faboo!

And don’t forget to check out Sip Northwest magazine for all you Pacific Northwest imbibers, including bars to sip, recipes to make, and new spirits to taste. Here’s a sneak peak on one of my articles. You can also pick up a complimentary copy at my Dish D’Lish cafés at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

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New Restaurant Fave!

New restaurants are popping up everywhere, but one of my new faves is Chef Greg Atknison’s Restaurant Marché located on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Greg is one of my all-time favorite chefs and I am so happy for him and his wife Betsy. The restaurant and menu totally embodies Greg’s signature style and flair. I enjoyed my recent birthday dinner there with the hubby and friends and was swooning by the time I left from total culinary bliss. If you have a trip planned to the Pacific Northwest or are a local be sure to make reservations and check it out. It’s a quick ferry ride across the Puget Sound and is close to the ferry terminal. Marché is open for lunch and dinner on Tuesdays – Saturdays. The menu changes with the seasons, featuring northwest cuisine and island goods (think amazing wild greens, crisp oysters, smooth-as-silk-chicken liver pate you want to rub on yourself!). Take a peek at this season’s menu items.

I hope you enjoyed my quick recap of what’s been going on lately. Make sure you join me on the weekends at Dishing with Kathy Casey on KOMO News Radio and check my corresponding blog with all the corresponding recipes and tips. –Kathy

More tasty travels and D’lish events!

The New Year has just been flying by, and so have I… from New Orleans, Chicago and the Ukraine, to Las Vegas most recently. I have been traveling everywhere, sharing my passion for great food and d’lish cocktails (all the while earning lots of flyer miles!). Here’s a quick recap of what my team and I have been up to!

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Tasty Travels

Congratulations to the Fairmont Hotels!
The new year started out with a trip to New Orleans, where I attended the annual Cheers Beverage Conference. Living up to its name, it was quite the libatious celebration all around – from tastings and seminars, to celebrity mixologist parties. But most exciting was the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts winning the Cheers 2012 Best Chain Hotel Beverage Program for the FAME (Fairmont Artistic Mixology Experience) Program that we manage and helped create – from individual hotel trainings to building a master recipe manual and individual bar culture, as well as producing a nine-part online training series. We are thrilled to continue to keep FAME fresh! Congrats Fairmont!!

Dobrý Deň! (It Means “Good Day” in Ukrainian!)
Speaking of Fairmont… my next stop was Kyiv, Ukraine to train the team there on all things spirited! Senior Liquid Kitchen™ Mixologist Keith Waldbauer and I landed in snowy and COLD Kyiv (or Kiev and pronounced kEEv) where it was straight to work.

Keith testing Liquid Kitchen Fairmont cocktails!

We trained the new staff for all the new bars and restaurants, and created lots of new cocktail creations using local products. We made birch syrup out of birch juice, which was amazing in an Old-Fashioned cocktail. And can I say how much I’m in love with Monin’s Tarragon syrup? (Don’t get too excited, it’s only available in Europe for now.) It’s d’lish in a non-alcoholic drink I made with clementines and fresh sparkling lemon soda!

Our beloved Green Chartreuse was not available, so I made my own herbal liquor – it turned out delicious! Those are little bottles of 97% grain alcohol, and yes, you can ignite it!

Ingredients were sometimes hard to get, but you make do with what you have. I pulled out my chef bag of tricks here and there, and we ended up with some pretty exciting cocktails! Drinks were shaken up with our house-made Black Tea and Pomegranate Elixer, house-made herbal liquor and grapefruit spice bitters.

The Fairmont Kyiv bar staff taking a photo break – after learning how to make house-made bitters.

In between work sessions, we did have some time to check out the scenery, shops and of course bars! Yes, the crew took us out in local style and tried to out drink us with shots of Honey Pepper Vodka, chased with local unpasteurized beer – ‘til the wee hours of the morning – but we held our own!

Honey Pepper Vodka + Local Beer = Fun with the Crew!

On our excursion day, we visited some beautiful churches in Kyiv. I can still hear the bells ringing.

They like faces on their foods too… LOL! Not sure why, but I got in a LOT of trouble at a store for taking this photo of sliced meat with funny faces! And the cream puffs were cute, too!

I found a little time to zip out to the store where it was fun to see all the local dried fish and pickled goodies. Of course, I was in heaven because I love all things pickled. The whole, pickled tomatoes were amazing!

Local dried fish and pickled everything in Kyiv.

There sure were a lot (and I mean a LOT) of potatoes, pickles beets, and cabbage… so I was inspired to create the Kyiv Martini! It featured local vodka (which, by the way, is fantastic and has a very complex character) shaken with a slice of fresh beet and served in a glass lined with a piece of fresh, shaved cucumber, then garnished with my homemade beet-pickled onions. I’d like one right now, please!

My Kyiv Martini!

We also visited a really cool local restaurant called Puzata Hata, where we had succulent dumplings and other local specialties, served to us at stations by cute Ukrainian ladies. You can eat your fill and drink local beer for under $10 a person!

I have to say, Ukrainian people are some of the most welcoming and friendly people we have ever worked with. But after lots of hard work getting the crew ready to open all the Fairmont Bars, and eating my fill of borsch, potato, and cabbage dumplings, it was time to go home. I was really craving Asian food and some good ol’ American home cooking. Luckily for me, as soon as I landed back in Seattle, my husband John had whipped up my favorite Slow Cooked Pot Roast with Half a Bottle of Wine and 20 Cloves of Garlic and fluffy mashed potatoes – thank you, honey! Yum! Then at work the next day, my Food Studios crew welcomed me back with pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). What a great way to come home! But stay tuned, as there might be a chance I’ll be going back this summer, when it’s sure to be a bit warmer…

Then it was off to Las Vegas…

…to be one of the celebrity judges for the Speed Rack – Las Vegas event! Founded by two faboo LUPEC – NY members Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix, their event promotes female bartenders from coast-to-coast in a speedy and engaging round-robin style tournament, with proceeds going straight to fight breast cancer. It was fast-paced action and these ladies know how to shake up a storm right before the annual VIBE Conference!

Charlotte Voisey, Tony Abou-Ganim and me getting ready to judge!

Speed Rack competitors hard at work, and judges judging!

After Speed Rack, it was on to the VIBE (Very Important Beverage Executives) Conference, held in conjunction with the Nightclub and Bar Show. VIBE is an amazing event and I am thrilled to participate every year with Monin. For the opening night I showcased my Spiced Islands Rum Punch crafted with Solerno blood orange liqueur, Sailor Jerry Rum, Monin Almond and Cinnamon Syrups, fresh pineapple and lime juices, all topped with an Angostura Foam. And, of course, I love my bling, so it had a light dusting of 24K gold on top.

The next day, associate Cameo McRoberts and I presented a seminar on non-alcoholic trends, where we discussed house-made sodas like cucumber, ginger, and lemongrass – as well as small indulgent treats like mini drinking caramels, and the love of carbonation and super fizz! Account Manager Heather Jones and new Liquid Kitchen Associate Dänny Ronen shook up beverages like mad, for a packed house. It was all fun but I was ready to come home!

After a long trip to Vegas, it was time to leave…before the lizards came! Heather, look out!

Next Stops: Orlando… Napa Valley at the CIA Flavor Summit and Los Angeles
Stay tuned for more tasty travels! Make sure you follow me on Twitter for all the fun pix and details!

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Serious Sippin’ with the Liquid Kitchen

Filming of the third season of Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen™ will soon be under way this spring! Here’s a sneak peak of one of my drinks that I’ll be sharing this season: The Ultimate Gin & Tonic. Martin Miller gin, a touch of fresh lime juice, and Housemade Tonic Bitters, all topped off with DRY Blood Orange Soda and a pouf of Cucumber Foam. A light dusting of micro-planed lime finishes it off! Are you thirsty now?? Well in the meantime, check out this episode and make yourself a Citrus 75.

And if you’re looking to expand your home bar, make sure you stop by my online store for all your libatious needs, from my Liquid Kitchen 6-piece bar kit essentials, Golden Era Bitters, and 5130 Honey to Dish D’Lish® Cocktailor Mixers and more!

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Tasty & Libatious Reads – and Cooking up a New Cookbook

Wow! I think I can seriously say there may be deviled eggs coming out my ears! That’s right, I’m in the final throes of testing recipes for my 10th book – it is due out next year, and is all about deviled eggs. I am super excited about this book, so stay tuned! In the meantime, I’m thrilled to announce that my cocktail and appetizer book Sips & Apps is finally available in digital form for the Amazon Kindle!

For those of you that live in my neck of the woods, be sure to check out the beautiful new Sip Northwest Magazine – its pages are full of wonderful libations and tipples from all around the Pacific Northwest! Here’s a sneak peak of my featured column for this season’s issue, including local mixologists’ recipes for beer-inspired cocktails. You can also pick up a complimentary copy at my Dish D’Lish cafés at the Sea-Tac International Airport.

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Cook Up Some Fun!

I was thrilled when, a couple of years ago, I was asked to submit a lemonade drink for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a really cool charity. After I submitted my drink, I had a phone call with Paramount Citrus (the sponsor) which came about because they loved my drink. They probably thought I was nuts the way I was going on and on about my love of citrus. Those of you that have known me for years already know of my zesty lemon habit! From passing on birthday cake for a scrumptious lemon meringue pie to loving a pop of citrus zest in just about everything, I just adore all things citrus! With spring here, I thought I would share a delicious, bright-tasting side dish, Lemony Herbed Orzo. This sassy side is perfect as an accompaniment to grilled fish or roasted chicken, and paired with first-of-the-season fresh asparagus. Fresh lemon juice and zest add a zingy flavor pop.

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and cook for approximately 6 – 8 minutes, stirring often, until just al dente or per package instructions. Immediately drain well (do not rinse), then place orzo in a heat-proof bowl. Stir in butter, olive oil, shallots and herbs to coat well. Then stir in lemon juice, zest, seasonings and cheese. Serve immediately.

*Citrus Zest adds such a lovely flavor pop to any dish.
To make lemon or other citrus zest: Zest is the outer peel of the fruit – with no white pith attached. You can remove the zest from the fruit with a fine zesting tool that makes long, very thin, pretty strands. Or you can peel off the zest with an ordinary potato peeler, being sure not to get any white pith, and then finely cut the zest in very, very thin long strips or mince it. You can also grate it off. For this method, I like to use a microplane.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

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Where to Catch Kathy Next

It’s almost that time of year again where I head for the beach! Not for tanning…but to go clamming! My team and I will once again be heading down to Ocean Shores to host and judge the Annual Razor Clam Festival, a Saturday full of family fun and great eats! There’ll be activities all day, as well as craft booths to visit. You can also sample all the competing chowders entered in the Clam Chowder Cook-Off! It’ll be a clam-tastic day – don’t forget to get your clam licenses and gear ahead of time for the day’s clam dig. Hope to see some of my Northwest friends there!

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Contests!

It’s a $10,000 prize, people!! Get your aprons ready, your creative juices flowing, and fire up that stove!!
The 3rd Annual Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Competition is well underway! Foster Farms is inviting all California, Oregon, and Washington professional and home chefs to submit their tried and true chicken recipes. Submitted recipes should include local ingredients that pair well with Foster Farms Chicken (check out the past years winners and finalists’ recipes for ideas). The ultimate grand prize is $10,000 and a year’s worth of Foster Farms chicken! Make sure you turn in your recipes soon as the deadline to submit your recipe is June 3rd!

Get the bar ready and show us how to make your version of an Old Fashioned cocktail!Tales of the Cocktail is one of the biggest imbibing events of the year for both spirits industry professionals and cocktail lovers. This year holds no exception, as it will be their 10th year anniversary! Industry professionals can submit their winning recipe for their creative take on the Old Fashioned. First prize winner will receive $1,250 cash and be the “Official Cocktail” of Tales of the Cocktail! Get shakin’, as the deadline to submit your “aged” cocktail is March 25th!

So, I hope you have enjoyed my travel stories, work shenanigans, and recipe testing tales. Until next time, please join me every weekend on Dishing with Kathy Casey on KOMO News Radio, and check out my companion blog with all the corresponding recipes and tips. Don’t forget to tweet with me @KathyCaseyChef! I’m always excited to chat about what’s new and tasty! -Kathy

Farewell 2011, here’s to a zesty 2012!

Another year has come and gone by so quickly! Last year was filled with exciting travels and delicious experiences. As we welcome in 2012, I hope you enjoy reading about my fun foodie adventures this year and all the new things we are up to and have on the horizon. — Kathy

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Tasty Travels

Spring travels in 2011 took my crew and me to Ocean Shores where I hosted the 5th Annual Razor Clam Fest — and ate a LOT of chowder! Then it was off to New York to present at the with Charlotte Voisey and Jamie Boudreau as well as Small Screen Network for our seminar, Three Mixologists — Three Cocktails — Three Ways.

My crew and me on our way back from the Razor Clam Fest at Ocean Shores!

Then I was off to Austin for the annual IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Conference where I presented a seminar on bitters. This annual event brings in a slew of professional culinarians from all over the world. In our downtime I zipped around the city with chef pals to check out the Austin Food Trailer scene — cool stuff!

A flight of bitters for our presentation at IACP

Summer travels started off in New Orleans where I presented a hit seminar on H2O Cocktails with Tony Abou- Ganim at Tales of the Cocktail. Our seminar was picked as one of the top by our peers! H2O cocktails were so well received that there was a slew of press and blogs featuring them. Check out Difford’s Guide and Camper English’s blog Alcademics and my guest article for Liquor.com. (I’m excited to start planning for 2012’s Tales of the Cocktail — it will be their 10th anniversary — but in the meantime check out Tales of the Cocktail on Tour: Vancouver this Feb in Vancouver B.C., Canada.)

Then it was off to Newport Beach, California for the Flavor Experience Conference where my team and I presented a seminar on Creativity and Creating New Cocktails and cooked up lots of great ideas with our client Monin, including our Soda Jerk Station! Here’s what we served:

Cameo, Me and Heather dressed up as soda jerks during the Flavor Experience!

Fall travels took me to back to California, this time to Napa Valley to present at the Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor conference with Paramount Citrus. Heather and Travis shook up over 4,000 cocktails that week including my Pacifica, made with fresh pressed pineapple, kaffir lime leaves, freshly squeezed Paramount lime juice, agave nectar, silver tequila and mandarin-infused vodka, then all topped with coconut foam!

Fall and Winter travels took me all-over North America from San Francisco to Dallas to Chicago to Toronto to Miami — but the highlight was my trip to France with Cointreau. But to backtrack a little bit, I was a mentor again for the annual Cointreau Bar-Star Mix-Off Competition at last year’s Tales of the Cocktail. Four finalists are challenged to create a cocktail on the fly from a table of fresh ingredients in front a panel of judges. With the help of their mixologist mentor, the finalists go at it for a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to France! New York’s Luigi Tarantino chose me as his mentor and we were off. After much discussion, he created the winning cocktail (recipe below)! Not only did he win a trip to France but as a mentor, I won a trip to France too!

Luigi and me after they announced the winners!

The Winning Cointreau Cocktail by Luigi Tarantino

Cointreau’ling Kamikazes
Created by Luigi Tarantino (Now on the menu at Tosca Café, Bronx, NY)

In a mixing glass, muddle thyme and raspberries, add remaining cocktail ingredients. Fill with ice, cap and shake, Strain into a martini or coupe glass. Garnish.

Citrus peels used in the making of Cointreau

Visiting Cointreau headquarters just outside of Angers in the Loire Valley was super amazing — I can still smell the beautiful orange peels as I write this!

After touring around the French countryside and eating and drinking way too much, we headed back to Paris where I was able to meet up with my Twitter friend @52Martinis for cocktails. If you’re headed to Paris in the future, be sure to check out her blog for all the best places to drink in the city.

Alfred Countreau leads us on a tour of the distillery

Then it was back to reality and the frenzy of setting up for our Annual Holiday Extravaganza & Open House at the Food Studios. Once a year we open our doors and invite everyone to come and enjoy some sips and apps and offer our “Over 21″ Real Fruit Cakes made with Maker’s Mark, housemade preserves, and Dish D’Lish® and Liquid Kitchen™ retail items as well as candies and baked goods. Whew — we had a huge turn out and it was so great to see so many friends and end the year with a bang!

One of the many d’lish goods we made for my annual Holiday Extravaganza

“Over 21″ Real Fruit Cakes made with Maker’s Mark

For the new year, I’ll have to pack extra warm…
because I will be heading next month to Kiev, Ukraine to help open the brand new Fairmont Grand Hotel! Make sure you follow me on Twitter (@KathyCaseyChef) where I’ll make sure to keep you all updated with fun news and tasty pics from Kiev!

Tim Master and me getting ready to make a tasty Maguey Harvest cocktail

Want to make a cocktail at home just like the pros do, but can never find the right restaurant/bar quality tools? Look no further than my Liquid Kitchen Cocktail Kit! It’s all the equipment that I use. It comes with a Liquid Kitchen logo’ed Boston tin shaker and pint glass, a channel knife, a metal two sided jigger, Hawthorn strainer and a julep strainer. All you need is the booze, ice and you’re on your way to a faboo drink!

And to help get you started with a great winter cocktail recipe, I penned this guest article for Liquor.com. I write all about winter citrus and share my recipes for a Citrus 75 and Grapefruit Negroni.

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Libatious Reads

If you’re inclined to cozy up to a good read about cocktails, read up on my good friend Jim Meehan’s new book The PDT (Please Don’t Tell) Cocktail Book. Fashioned around the famed NY bar, it’s filled with over 300 cocktail recipes and a few behind the scenes moments of his bar.

Another couple of must have cocktail books are the “new” Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide. Mixologist Jonathan Pogash updated this bar classic and added new recipes from a wide variety of other mixologists and bartenders, including my recipe for a Rosemary Clementine Sparkle.

For those of you that geek out over ingredients and like to get down to the specifics, bitters enthusiasts will love Brad Thomas Parsons’ book BITTERS and if you’ve just always wanted to know everything about vermouth then Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown’s The Mixellany Guide to Vermouth and Other Apertifs is the book for you. I got some ink in with my Tuscan Martini that has a grappa & lemon-infused dry vermouth in it.

If you’re looking for spirited news about the Pacific Northwest, then be sure to check out Sip Northwest magazine. Covering all things from new distilleries and spirits to the latest and the hottest craft cocktail bars, Sip Northwest is a new must read quarterly magazine. Make sure you check out my feature column Shake, Swizzle & Stir — this issue I shake it up with Aviation Gin and Woodinville Headlong White Dog Whiskey, and visit Liberty Bar in Seattle and Clyde Common in Portland.

Dishing with Kathy Casey – On-Air and Online

Catch me throughout the weekend for Dishing with Kathy Casey on KOMO News Radio to hear about what’s in season, recipe tips as well as neighborhood hot spots and restaurant news. Link back to my blog Dishing with Kathy Casey for everything I dish up on the show, recipes, links and other helpful info.

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Cook Up Some Fun with Cuties Citrus!

Photo by Kathy Casey Food Studios

Clementine Salad with Fennel, Feta and Honey Citrus Dressing
This salad is great as a starter, or as an entrée topped with grilled chicken or shrimp. When in season, a scattering of pomegranate seeds is a festive addition. Whole Cuties are blended in the dressing for a zesty twist!

Finely shave fennel with a sharp knife or mandoline, and crisp in ice water for 10 minutes. Spin dry before using. Cut peel off Cuties, trim away all white pith, then cut fruit into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Set fruit aside.

Toss greens and fennel with 1/2 cup of dressing to coat nicely. Serve salad on a large platter or divide among individual plates. Top with sliced Cuties and sprinkle with feta. Drizzle with a little extra dressing if desired.

Honey Citrus Dressing
Quick and easy this dressing can be easily doubled or tripled. It’s a snap to make in a Vitamix blender.

Where to Catch Kathy Next

Come join me for Frantic Foodie Keren Brown’s next Foodportunity event. I’ll be on a special panel alongside chef Lisa Dupar, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese’s Kurt Beecher Dammeier and CakeSpy’s Jessie Oleson. There will be lively conversation and lots of tasty bites offered by the Palace Ballroom, Rover’s and Luc, Local 360, The Coterie Room and so much more. Make sure you get your tickets soon and I hope to see you there!

I’m shaking it up again — Season 2 of Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen™I am so excited to have just completed shooting the second season of my cocktail show Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen with Small Screen Network! Keep your eye out for these tasty cocktail episodes, which air every Tuesday!

A sneak peek at my Envy cocktail!

If you’ve seen my recent tweets then you saw some of the inside scoop while in mid-filming. This season is full of great cocktail recipes from inspired classics to fun & inventive cocktails, including a DIY raspberry syrup that I use in a Clover Thyme Club as well as a Whole Fruit Strawberry Daiquiri and a Cherry Chocolate Bourbon Spirited Milkshake! To kick-off the first season, I invited world-renowned mixologist Charlotte Voisey to show us how to make her Port of Mischief Punch. Special episodes also include a fun trip to Eastern Washington and Oregon where I demystify the maraschino cherry and take you on a tour of how they’re made from orchard to jar. I hope you will tune in weekly for some Liquid Kitchen inspiration. Cheers!

Imbibing Books!
If you’re a cocktail enthusiast, then check out these must-have new books! Food & Wine just published their Food & Wine: Cocktails 2011 and is available now. I penned the vodka chapter which is loaded with recipes from myself as well as guest mixologists Anu Apte from the Seattle’s Rob Roy and H. Joseph Ehrmann of San Francisco’s Elixir. Some of my faves for summer include my Tea’Thyme and Pineapple Pico cocktails.

IACP—International Association of Culinary ProfessionalsThis past June my Culinary Associate Heather Jones and I traveled south to Austin, Texas for this annual conference. This is a worldwide industry event inviting culinary experts from all areas (chefs, restaurateurs, photographers, etc.) to come together, attend seminars and dish out tasty offerings. This year I led a specialty seminar called “Better to be Bitter.” People loved the hands-on a tasting and learning just what bitters are as well as how to use them… it really is better to be bitter!

The IACP cookbook awards are always a must attend event. I am so excited for chef pal Lisa Dupar whose cookbook Fried Chicken & Champagne won Best First Book – a great honor! Congrats Lisa!

After a week of seminars by legends like Shirley Corriher (making her famous lighter-than-air biscuits and teaching us all about baking science) to some fine Texas cuisine demos by luminary Chef Stephan Pyles, it was time to check out Austin’s food trailers (trucks) with chef gal friends Danielle Custer and Lisa Dupar.

My new friend, a Texas Armadillo!

Lisa Dupar and Danielle Custer checking out the East Side King Food during our Austin food trailer foray!

The Local Yolk food trailer … so cute!

The temperature was HOT for these NW gals … but we trekked on to taste quite a few of the city’s best street grub.

Other food venders ranged from Korean barbecue to fish and chips with curry sauce to killer Texas-style BBQ. I’m full just thinking about it!

Tales of the CocktailTales of the Cocktail is probably the biggest of the cocktail events this year. Every July, mixologists, spirit producers and enthusiasts from all over the world convene for a week of amazing parties, liquor tastings, spirited dinners and seminars. This year I did a seminar with internationally renowned Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim on H2O Cocktails. We discussed the how’s and why’s of water–based cocktails using flavor–infused waters with complex–character vodka. Master Distiller Thomas Kuuttanen from Purity Vodka joined us to answer all those geeky questions that we couldn’t. TOTC is open to the public so you don’t need to be a pro to party with the professionals. Stay tuned for my next newsletter to hear all the imbibing details. In the meantime, check out an episode of Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen to see how to make a Purity Watermelon Habanero H2O Cocktail — so perfect for summer sippin’!

On-Air with Kathy Casey! Dishing with Kathy Casey on KOMO New Radio
I’m excited to announce that you can catch me on Seattle’s KOMO News Radio AM 1000/97.7 FM! Art Sanders will be Dishing it up with me every weekend. I’ll cover what’s hot in Seattle from seasonal treats (cherry mojitos, anyone?), new restaurants and festivals (check out this lavender lemon soda) to entertaining at home. Catch me throughout the day and evening every weekend on KOMO!

Buzzin’ Around TownAs the summer months take over, I’m happy to announce that my bees are back with the addition of another hive! That’s right, I have two hives now! The bees love zooming around our urban garden and deliciously feed off the wild fennel blossoms and blooming edibles. I can’t wait to taste this year’s batch of yummy honey. You too can have a taste for yourself and order yourself a jar of my special Liquid Kitchen 5130 Honey!

Don’t forget to check my column D’lish with DList Magazine, my posts on Amazon’s Al Dente blog and keep your eye out for my upcoming column in in the new Sip Northwest Magazine, where I’ll be covering the newest NW Spirits and Bars!

I’ll be headed out California soon for the Flavor Experience then off to Canada for the Canadian Club Whiskey distillery tour! Stay tuned with my tasty tweets.

Lots of Delicious Travel and Exciting Projects

It’s been another whirlwind of a few months … lots of tasty travel and exciting work as well as the addition of a new mixology associate Andrew Bohrer to the Liquid Kitchen! As a former bartender at Vessel and opening bar manager at the Naga Cocktail Lounge (both listed in Food & Wine’s top 100 bars in the world) as well as most recently the bar manager at Mistral Kitchen, Andrew created national cocktail buzz around his creative libations. We are thrilled to welcome Andrew to our mixology team! Check out his blog at Cask Strength.

It seems I’ve barely been home for 2 seconds lately, so here is a glimpse of my spring adventures. I’ll be excited to report back mid-summer with new travels, tales and tasty recipes!

Tales of the Cocktail on Tour: Vancouver

Tales of the Cocktail has moved into international territory and broken from its New Orleans roots this past March. Tales Vancouver was hosted at the beautiful Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in British Columbia. Tales on Tour was set for a different, yet fun and refreshing change of pace. (Definitely not as many sun glasses worn at the early morning seminars!)

Mass cocktail swag from TOTC: Vancouver!!!!

The whole event kicked off with a Canadian Professional Bartenders Association (CPBA) Welcome Reception held at the Vancouver Aquarium. Master mixologist David Wolowidnyk of WEST Restaurant & Bar as well as Director & Treasure of the CPBA shook up and stirred lots of great drinks while demonstrating his mastery and finesse of the Japanese bartending techniques.

Mixologist David Wolowidnyk stirring a tasty concoction!

The rest of my time there was spent attending amazing seminars by such cocktail luminaries as tiki god Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. Jeff is a total tiki beverage historian. His CSI-style seminar took us through the various origins of the Mai Tai cocktail and helped us come to our own conclusions. Too fun!!!

I then geeked out with Dave Arnold at The Science of Cocktails: New Techniques Behind the Bar followed by an informative and fun seminar on The History and Importance of Ice in Cocktails by renowned mixologist Charlotte Voisey and Jon Santer.

It was definitely great to have Tales up in the Pacific Northwest- my neck of the woods. I can’t wait for Tales of the Cocktail this summer, July 20-24 in New Orleans, Louisiana where I will be presenting a seminar on H2O Cocktails with the Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim and master distiller Thomas Kuuttanen from Purity Vodka. Come shake some fun up with us and get your tickets soon!

Mom 2.0 Summit Conference

In April I headed to the Mom 2.0 Summit Conference! This huge conference was held in beautiful New Orleans, Louisiana. (I sure seem to be spending a lot of time there!) My team and I were there with Almond Accents. We whipped up lunch for 400 people, passed out some delicious snacks and bites at the booth and met lots of great people. Check out my recipe for the Calypso Cous Cous Almond Salad with Shrimp that we made for the lunch.

Dale DeGroff comes to Seattle!

“King Cocktail” Dale DeGroff was shaking it up at my Food Studios-Liquid Kitchen this past spring for a Cointreau event. He guided attendees through a spirited tasting of orange liquors and a sampling of Dale’s cocktails. Cointreau also announced the 2011 Mix-Off Competition where I get to be an expert mentor for the finals at Tales of the Cocktail. If my mixologist wins not only do they get a trip to France – but I do too! Afterwards we served up some of Dale’s cocktails. It’s always an honor to see Dale and watch him work.

Directions: Assemble all ingredients in a Boston shaker filled with ice and shake well. Strain in to a chilled martini glass and garnish with a rose petal.

TV, Books, and More!

I’m so excited to have been chosen as one of the 101 featured mixologists in the legendary spirit writer Gary Regan’s newest book, Annual Manual for Bartenders, 2011, which includes the recipe for my Bollywood cocktail. It’s an amazing book for any mixologist or budding bartender. So please support this great writer and order your copy today!

If you’re still thirsty then try out my Tea’Thyme cocktail recipe found in the Food & Wine: Cocktails 2011 book due out this summer! I penned the vodka chapter – so stay tuned for more…

Food Bank Gourmet!

Family Works Food Bank had an amazing and successful fundraiser event in late March. They asked celebrated chefs and restaurant owners Rachel Yang of Joule/Revel and Amy McCray of Eva to team up and lead an interactive cooking demo using only food bank ingredients. I was happy to be asked to emcee the event. It was amazing to see and taste the amazing dishes they cooked up for a great cause. Please remember to support your local food banks!

Chef’s Rachel Yang, myself and Amy McCray!

Foster Farms’ Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest!

Foster Farms is looking for recipes! If you have an amazing chicken recipe that you think is great and deserves some recognition, make sure you enter the Foster Farms’ Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest. Recipe applicants have until May 31st to turn in recipes for a chance to win a grand prize of $10,000 and a year’s worth of Foster Farms’ chicken! For contest info, click here. A family owned company since 1939, Foster Farms prides itself in raising locally-grown fresh chicken available in grocery stores on the West Coast. The Washington state finals will be held at my Food Studios and I am lucky to be a judge again this year!

2010 Judges: Jamie Peha, myself and Cynthia Nims!

Where to catch Kathy next:

Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen™ Season Two – Coming Soon!
I’ll be filming Season Two of my cocktail show Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen soon with Small Screen Network! I’ll be creating some refreshing summer cocktails and d’lish appetizers. In the meantime, check out past episodes for some libacious inspiration.

May 13 – 17: Manhattan Cocktail Classic: New York, New York
The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is just around the corner! This part conference, part cocktail party and part festival-style liquor and spirits event is open to the industry and to the public! I’ll be presenting the seminar “Three Mixologists, Three Cocktails, Three Ways (or Cocktail Ménage á Trois)” and teaming up with Small Screen Network and fellow renowned mixologists Charlotte Voisey and Jamie Boudreau as we each give our spin on the French 75, a Margarita and the Old Fashioned while discussing the history of the classic versions and our inspiration for our modern versions. For event and ticket info, click here.

June 1 – 4: International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference: Austin, Texas
The IACP Conference is an annual conference where worldwide culinary professionals get the chance to meet up and take part in lively discussions/seminars about the latest trends in the culinary world. I’ll be presenting a seminar this year titled “It’s Better to be Bitter” where we will be tasting bitters and discussing the growing bitters phenomenon. For those industry friends, I hope to see you in Austin. For more information, check out the IACP site.

I’ve also been blogging for Amazon’s Al Dente so I hope you will visit there as well to see what new things I am cooking up this summer. Here’s wishing you all a tasty and d’lish summer! – Kathy

I gathered up the team and we headed for Vegas, baby! And the VIBE was great!

We just recently got back from Vegas and had an amazing time at the VIBE Conference! This is the 2nd annual spirits and liquor industry conference where beverage industry leaders, national restaurant accounts and spirit brands come together to discuss all things beverage, showcase tasty new products, learn new things and get inspired. This year I shook it up for the opening night’s Celebrity Mixologist event at the William Grant & Monin “Americana themed bar” with Charlotte Voissey, a world-renowned mixologist! My drink was a play on the soda fountain: the ROOT n’ Rye Float made with ROOT liquor, Hudson Rye, Sailor Jerry and a dash of Fee’s Old Fashioned Bitters. This was shaken and served up with a beautiful “float” of foam made with Monin French Vanilla Syrup. And of course I had to have a little bling bling in there… a dusting of edible gold flakes!

Charlotte Voissey and me at the VIBE Celebrity Mixologist Event

The next day I led a workshop-style seminar with my team about Cocktail Alternatives: Raising the Bar – Without Raiding the Bar! (a tasting discussion on non-alcoholic drinks). We held a lively discussion on what’s new on the non-alcoholic horizon, sampled mocktails such as the Yuzu Mizu and discussed all the cool beverages I have seen on my travels to the Middle East and Asia. The seminar ended with participants making their own non-alcoholic concoctions. You can see a brief overview of the seminar at the VIBE website.

My Yuzu Mizu mocktail

After all that, there was still time to party, eat at great restaurants, dance and party some more! If you’re in Vegas…you might as well live it up! Yeah! We can’t wait for VIBE next year!

My team and me having a blast in Vegas!

It’s Clammin’ Time!

My friend Scott and I cleaning razor clams

Last Saturday, March 19th was the 5th Annual Razor Clam Festival! I hosted this year’s festivities once again which kicked off with a Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast. There were a lot of chowders to taste for this year’s Clam Chowder Cook-Offs — the professional and amateur competition! My chef team and I tasted and judged close to 30 chowders altogether! After a great festival, it was time for some clam digging! Stay tuned for a detailed blog with the official winners Clam Chowder Cook-Off competition winners and recipes!

Dancing the night away with a Rosemary Mandarin Tango!

Seattle Dances! was a hit! Plymouth Housing Group’s second annual auction and dinner event brought in lots of people to watch a new group of Seattleites dance their pants off… but not literally! If you remember, last year I put on my dancing shoes and danced the Charleston! This year, I put my dancing shoes away (thankfully!) and shook up some fun with my tasty Rosemary Mandarin Tango cocktail! This blends in the complex character of Moon Mountain vodka with the sweetness of a Cuties Clementine and the herbal note of fresh rosemary.

Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen

The first season of my cocktail show Kathy Casey’s Liquid KitchenTM on Small Screen Network was a hit and I appreciate all the great responses! If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet log in today and try out my Luxury Piña Colada; a little taste of summer which is just around the corner! We start shooting the next season this spring!

As you may know, I had a fantastic trip to Kuala Lampur over the holidays to develop the bars and nightclubs at Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It was a crazy-busy visit but I did get a chance to sit down with Time Out: Kuala Lampur to talk about mixing up my favorite spirits with some d’lish flavor pairings! Make sure you check it out to get some ideas about unique taste combinations… don’t quote me on that Dr. Pepper comment, though!!! I swear I DID NOT say that!

It’s Tea Thyme! You read that right… Food & Wine online is featuring my lovely Tea Thyme cocktail. It marries English breakfast tea-infused vodka, a little splash of lemon juice, local honey like my own Liquid Kitchen “5130” Honey, and a pretty sprig of thyme for garnish to add a fresh, herbalicious note. This classy cocktail is perfect for a grown-up tea party! Cheers!

To make the cupcakes: Spray nonstickmini-muffin tins with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cut chicken breast into 1/4-inch small pieces. In a small skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chicken breast and sauté for about 3 minutes moving around the pan with a spoon. When chicken is three-quarters cooked then add the onion, celery, and bell pepper for about 3 to 4 minutes more, until vegetables are just starting to get tender. Add the garlic and sauté about 30 seconds more. Let cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and Old Bay seasoning; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and sour cream.

Once the cooked mixture is cooled, add the cornmeal mixture to the egg mixture, and mix lightly. Fold in the drained corn, bacon, and cooked chicken and vegetables. Do not overmix; fold in just until evenly distributed.

Divide batter between the prepared mini muffin cups, fill to the top – you will get about 24 cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes for about 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in cupcake center comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully remove them from the pan and let cool briefly on a wire rack before frosting. The cupcakes can be made up to 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated before frosting. Refrigeration is imperative if making in advance. (If reheating them, warm them for minute or so in a 350-degree F oven before frosting.)

To make the frosting: In a small bowl, mash the cream cheese with a fork, then whisk in the milk and Tabasco until smooth and creamy. Top each cupcake with about 1 teaspoon of frosting then sprinkle with green onion for garnish. Serve warm.

Where to catch Kathy next:

April 14th – 16th: New Orleans, Louisiana
I’ll be cooking it up in New Orleans for the Mom 2.0 Summit this year! The Mom Summit is an annual event between moms, marketers, and social media specialists. I’ll be there with Almond Accents sharing my tips for delicious almond-related recipes! Check out this year’s event schedule and ticket info!

May 13th – 17th: New York, New York
If you happen to live or be in the area of Manhattan on those dates, make sure that you stop by the Manhattan Cocktail Classic! This is a part conference, part cocktail party and part festival-style liquor and spirits industry event. The best part: it’s open to the public! Come stop by and attend my seminar: Three Mixologists – Three Drinks – Three Ways (or Cocktail Ménage á Trois!) For event and ticket info, click here.

It’s been a whirlwind month so far and shows no signs of stopping with all the super-fun events coming up, so make sure you stay tuned to catch all the details of my adventures! Cheers! – Kathy

Traveling Traveling Traveling… First Stop Malaysia!

Before 2010 ended I had the honor of being invited to develop and shake up some cocktails for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! My husband John and I left on a Monday at 10 am from Seattle, flew to LA and then landed in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday at 1 am!!! Yes, that is the LONGEST flight that I have ever taken and I have no intentions of topping it!

After a day of getting a little rest, we then went to work and spent the next ten days with the hotel’s bartending team. It was a whirlwind of drink development, training and opening new concepts. I have to say that I absolutely went nuts with the ingredients; from fresh kiwi and pink guava juices to my new favorite citrus fruit the calamansi, a tiny little green skinned fruit the size of a nickel with tangy orange flesh — yum! I even found local Malacca palm sugar which I used in an amazing mojito. But all that work did not stop me from trying lots of local cuisine. On Christmas day we got out and about and started our day with amazing dim sum, then enjoyed the local sites — it was a merry day indeed!

The great crew at Casbah, the Mandarin Oriental’s new restaurant and bar! They studied hard!

Once all the work was done, the entire staff thoroughly trained, and all the drinks were in place, it was time to have some fun! I visited local hawkers and mamaks, where there a plethora of vendors cooking up some delicious foods — and this Seattle girl could handle the spicy heat! I represented us well! I even had a big GIANT shaved ice treat to cool me off for dessert after all that spicy food! Here’s what’s in it: shaved ice, sweet corn, sweet red beans, grass jelly, rose syrup and topped with ice cream — a drink and dessert all in one! Oh and its pink too so of course I love it!

Me with my GIANT shaved ice — yum!

We also took a quick overnight trip to Singapore. It’s a quick 45 minute flight and definitely a must-do when in Southeast Asia. We stayed at the fabulous Fairmont Hotel and had an amazing brunch that the chef made for us featuring local specialties including Chili Crab! More yum!

Local Singapore dishes including Chili Crab

Yes I ate durian… in a cream puff in Singapore! It wasn’t that bad… but I didn’t end up putting it in a drink!

One of the highlights of my trip was being interviewed for Time Out Kuala Lumpur Magazine. Time Out is my favorite magazine when traveling to find the best and coolest places in a city. Amin Khairuddin was my interviewer, a super cool guy that writes about what’s hot in the city as far as drinks and partying goes. I lucked out, as the “Best of Restaurants” issue was just out. I used it as my guide for some delicious Kuala Lumpur adventures!

Amin tasting and shooting my drinks at the Mandarin Oriental for Time Out Magazine.

Oh and then there was China Town in Kuala Lumpur — an amazing market with tantalizing treats at every turn. From pandan pops to fresh squeezed sugar cane juice to charcoal roasted chestnuts … it was hard to decide what to eat next. I loved seeing some of the food carts set up on motorcycles!

China Town! John (on the right) pondering — what to eat next?

Square Ice Cream Pops… the green one is pandan!

Fresh-squeezed sugar cane Juice… now this would be good in a cocktail!

I tried super-sugary, salty “meat candy” squares in Singapore — but the candied cucumbers and carrots were also pretty different:

Candied cucumbers, carrots and ginger

There were plenty of other new and wild things that I enjoyed and I hope to fill you in more with a few videos that I shot along with some more tasty travel tales — stay tuned for my blog on our Southeast Asia trip!

Cold, Cool, and Fun… at Sundance Film Festival and Cheers Beverage Conference in New Orleans

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a fantastic party hosted by socialite JJ McKay at the Sundance Film Festival. It was an amazing time — celebs, s’mores, cocktails, friends and lots of fun. While I was there my new talent agency Generate LA hosted an amazing party for a little meet-and-greet. I shook up some super cool cocktails including a Triangle Rum Punch made with tea infused Cruzan rum, The Kraken spiced rum and Cachaca shaken with hibiscus infused POM juice, fresh pink grapefruit and Monin Almond syrup served over a Glace luxury ice ball and topped with a sprinkle of edible gold flakes. They went down easy!

Enjoying a cocktail at Sundance! Brr! Yes, that is a goose in my hand!

Then it was off to New Orleans for the Cheers Beverage Conference! Cheers is an annual conference where spirit brands and mixologists gather to discuss all things boozy. It was a busy week of meeting fantastic people, seeing industry friends, parties and eating “everywhere.” The conference ended with a Celebrity Mixologists Reception where I shook it up Tony Abou-Ganim and Dale DeGroff. My signature cocktail was the Pacifica: 1800 silver tequila, Hangar One Mandarin Blossom vodka, a Cuties mandarin, fresh pineapple, kaffir lime leaf, a splash of fresh lime juice and agave nectar — Cheers to New Orleans!

Heather and me in front of the Mardi Gras parade decorations at the Cheers Opening party in New Orleans!

Now that’s a cocktail! Yowza!

Mark your Calendars and come join me for some tasty fun!

February 27
If you’re a food and wine enthusiast, the 2011 Seattle Food & Wine Experience is the event for you! More than 1000 wines from around the world will be at this event on Sunday, February 27th for attendees to taste as well as an assortment of gourmet bites. This year I’ll be at the Foster Farms booth signing complimentary copies of my Northwest Table cookbook for the first 300 guests and serving up Savory Foster Farms Chicken & Bacon Cupcakes with Tabasco Fosting — stop by for a quick chat and a delicious bite! Last year was a sell out so make sure to get your tickets in advance!

March 12
Plymouth Housing Group is at it again! The 2nd Annual Seattle Dances! will be held at Fremont Studios on Saturday, March 12th and features a bevy of new Seattleite dancers covering all styles of dance from swing to hip-hop. I won’t be dancing this time (phew!), but I will be shaking up the signature cocktail for the evening. To learn more about the event and to buy tickets click here.

March 19It’s coming soon! The 5th Annual Razor Clam Festival will be held on Saturday, March 19th at the Ocean Shores Convention Center! So super fun and “small town”, this popular festival kicks off with a Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast. I’ll be there hosting this year’s festivities once again as well as judging both the amateur and professional Clam Chowder Cook-Off! Super tasty!

There’ll be a variety of clam-tastic activities to keep everyone entertained, so make sure to plan ahead and get it on the calendar. Stay tuned for more information.

March 13-15
The Tales of the Cocktail organizers are adding a slight twist to this year’s plans called Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver. this smaller version of Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans will be held from March 13-15 in Vancouver. This is a great time to get a feel for Tales as well as enjoy the beautiful scenery that Vancouver has to offer!

Thank you to all who attended our Holiday Open House & Extravaganza.Here’s wishing to a fun year! — Kathy

Well, it’s been a super, crazy, busy summer here at Kathy Casey Food Studios®-Liquid Kitchen™. I’ve been filming, traveling, and shaking up a storm the past few months. If you want to stay updated with all kinds of super-tasty tidbits of what’s been going on, be sure to follow me on Twitter and check out my blog.

Food Network Canada — yea! I’m their new “Ask an Expert” mixologist!

I am so honored to be working with Food Network—so click, and ask away everything you wanted to know about crafting a great cocktail, throwing a libacious party or what the newest imbibing trend is. Click here to check it out!

The Liquid Kitchen™ has been shaking up some new products …

At our online store we have our logo’d Boston shaker tin sets and our house-made Golden Era bitters as well as our Liquid Kitchen Cocktail Kit with all the barware basics. Look forward to other tasty cocktail concoctions soon, too, such as unique handmade marmalades and preserves—that will be excellent to shake into your favorite spirit—as well as our Liquid Kitchen No. 5130 backyard honey from our very own bee hives!

Speaking of honey … we are all abuzz about the very first batch of No. 5130 HoneyThe end of July had things buzzing here at the Food Studios — it was time for the 1st honey harvest from our hive! Bee Master Corky Luster spun the first batch, and is it d’lish! With a dark amber hue, our honey is rich and complex tasting. Honey is a great sweetener and can be used in a plethora of recipes. I love it drizzled over sexy cheeses, lush summer fruits or in cocktails such as my newest fav — the Maker’s Honey Hum Collins (recipe follows). This cocktail combines the new Maker’s Mark 46, honey syrup, fresh lemon and HUM liqueur made by my friend and extraordinary mixologist Adam Seger.

Above is a finished comb filled with honey that has been capped with wax
It’s on the way to become Liquid Kitchen™ #5130 Honey!

Measure Maker’s Mark 46, Hum, honey syrup and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, cap and shake. Add splash of soda to the shaker and pour into a tall Collins glass. Add additional ice if needed.
Garnish.

To make Liquid Kitchen™ Honey Syrup: Measure 1 part HOT water and 1 part Liquid Kitchen™ No. 5130 honey into a container. Stir until honey is completely dissolved. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Most recently I have been working with Purity Vodka, a complex character vodka. Unlike many neutral-tasting vodkas, Purity has a subtle, yet complex taste, which is best when embraced and highlighted rather than masked by overly sweet ingredients and powerful flavors. These cocktails are not only refreshing to sip this summer, but are also ideal when “watching your waistline.” Check out my blog on Amazon’s Al Dente site for the full read and the recipes.

Purity Vodka’s Berry Purity H2O and the Frisk

Libatious Tales from The Big EasyIn July, my Executive Chef Cameo, my Account Manager Jill and I kicked off our “summer conference frenzy” with a trip to New Orleans for the annual Tales of the Cocktail. The attendees of this conference are what I endearingly refer to as the cocktail “geeks” (which I humbly place myself among), who are super into the Art of Mixology.

Cameo and my seminar Creativity and the Power of Brainstorming was picked for the Pro “line-up” which was so much fun! A portion of the presentation was hands on: each table of attendees had to create a cocktail in 5 minutes using a unique bar tool and whatever they could grab in 1 minute from a “pantry” of ingredients. (There were 80 people doing this at once! Can you say crazy!!) I’ll have to say we were pretty impressed with what the teams came up with in such a short period of time. The winning drink was called “Morris Day and the Thyme” and was a tasty blend of cucumber, Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine, gin, lime and a touch of simple syrup.

Attendees choosing from the “pantry” of ingredients.

Ms. Franky, Cameo, and I with the hard task of picking a winner!

After the seminar was over, we had time to enjoy the rest of the conference! I participated in the Cointreau Tasting Room & Bar Star Mix-Off where I was a “mentor” for a mixologist. The rest of our time in the Big Easy was split between eating and drinking, more seminars, parties and avoiding the heat! We hit all our favorite restaurants: Lunch at Napoleon House, famous for their Muffaletta and Pimm’s Cup; Cochon Restaurant for Pork Ribs with Watermelon Pickles; and Mother’s Restaurant for Grits with Debris.

If you missed Tales and want to shake up some of this year’s cocktails, check out the Tales of the Cocktail eBook — it is available online. This is a great deal for just 10 bucks (my recipe entry for the Planter’s Punch contest is also included along with our other seminar recipes). For more information, click here.

After only a few days back in Seattle, Cameo and I were re-packed and ready to head to sunny Newport Beach, California, for the annual Flavor Conference. While we never see much more than the inside of a kitchen and the back side of a banquet table, it’s a great event that brings together restaurant, hotel, cruise line, resort, and food and liquor industry professionals from all over the US. It’s a three-day eat-and-drink-a-thon showcasing popular food trends, flavors and new products.

We were in attendance with our friends at Monin, shaking up some cocktails and appetizers we adapted from my book, Sips and Apps. At the welcome reception I signed copies of my book and Cameo served up Blue Thai Mojitos, 1800 Spiced Margaritas with a Mango Ginger Grilled Shrimp Garnish, and a delicious Clover Club with raspberry foam.

From left to right, Blue Thai Mojito, Clover Club with raspberry foam and 1800 Margarita

I headed back to Seattle the next day for a Seattle Sip Around (read more below) while Cameo held down the fort for the second night at Flavor for the “Chef’s Showcase.” Cameo was on hand poolside to serve up some sweet and spicy ceviche to a crowd of hungry conference-goers. This time we paired shrimp with pineapple and mango with a hint of chipotle, and a fresh halibut ceviche with hints of habanero, lime and orange. We added a fun twist to the margarita by offering a trio of foams and a sprinkling of black lava salt. Along with the beautiful and delicious sangria that Monin served, we were quite a hit at the sunset pool party!

Now we’re home and the dust has settled, we can relax for a minute or two before the next big thing … BlogHer Food 2010. Stay tuned for more info.

Things are Jammin’ at the StudiosRight now it’s Jam Time! It’s that time of year again when summer fruits are in abundance (despite this crazy weather!). We’ve been hooking up with City Fruit, a cool non-profit organization that gathers excess fruits from neighborhood yards then delivers them to food banks and restaurants. We love supporting them and are donning our sexy hairnets to cook up lots of great tasty treasures, which we will feature at Kathy Casey Food Studios annual open house this December … yes, we are thinking ahead!

Travis, myself and Cameo in our sexy hairnets!

Mmm … Strawberry Lavender Jam

Sip Around SeattleThis is a great new event we hosted for Beam Global and is something we for sure want to host again. We started out with Senior Mixology Associate Keith Waldbauer and fellow Mixologist Andrew Bohrer’s presentation on cocktail history, classic and new bartending techniques, and some new trends we are seeing in mixology bars across the country. Andrew carved up a slew of ice balls, Keith flamed some rosemary, and both mixed up some fantastic drinks for the guests.

The following day I conducted a major mixology session and drink tasting featuring 16 new drinks! Whew! After my seminar, we were off to the Sip Around tour. Seattle has so many great mixologists and bars that truly are on the cutting edge of all the nations’ trends, we thought we should show our guests what Seattle has to offer. So 30 of us piled onto a party bus and headed out.

First, we saw Jay Kuehner at Sambar, where we sipped his fruit-forward creations in the back garden patio.

Next, on to Oliver’s Twist. Robert Rowland and Kim Bruso each made a fantastic drink while we snacked on oxtail sliders and anchovy deviled eggs. We grabbed our treats of garlic truffle popcorn and hopped back on the bus to head downtown. At Vessel, Jim Romdall served us the signature “Vessel 75” made with two types of bourbon and Peychaud’s bitters poured over luscious maple syrup foam. Stop #4 was at Tavern Law, where we snuck up the secret staircase to the upstairs private room and Nathan Weber whipped up two delicious cocktails, served in their beautiful vintage glassware collection.

Nathan Weber’s “Chancey” cocktail

For our final stop we zipped over to Barrio where we tried Casey Robison’s ever-popular “Sexy Sadie,” a jalapeño-spiced tequila drink with a touch of sage. Then it was on to Liberty for last call, where co-owner Keith mixed up some drinks “on the fly” for us.

One of Liberty’s many concoctions, Rum Pineapple White Tea
… if you ask nicely, Keith might make you a special drink with it!

All-in-all it was a booze-a-licious and spectacular couple of days; everyone learned — and drank — a lot!

I am so excited to be the emcee at the Culinarium live stage for this year’s Seattle Food Show. We are going to have a great line up of chefs! For years, foodies of all ages have devoured their way through Seattle’s specialty chocolate, artisanal coffee, craft brews, regional wine, scratch-made cupcakes, farmstead cheeses, fine restaurants and retailers. On November 20 and 21, you’ll find them all tempting you under one roof, at the Seattle Key Arena, and just in time for holiday shopping. Advance general admission is $20; details available here.

And stay tuned to see who wins $10K in the Foster Farms Chicken Recipe contest!

This next week we are hosting the Washington recipe finals here at the Food Studios. See all the semi-finalists’ recipes from Washington, Oregon and California here.

I hope you have had a delicious summer and I look forward to an excting fall. Stay tuned on Facebook and Twitter for news about all my tasty travels and projects.